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Can only speak anecdotally, but… A significant number of our friends and family moved since the start of COVID but they went in different directions. We’re all

Can only speak anecdotally, but… A significant number of our friends and family moved since the start of COVID but they went in different directions. We’re all mid-to-late 30s working in tech, mostly, so this is in no way representative of all the people making moves. Some people moved out of the city entirely. All of these people have good jobs with high pay but decided that this was their opportunity to get the big house in a different area. In all but one case, these were renters who bought when they moved. That last case was a family that sold their place for more than asking price in 7 days and then bought a new place. Others were renters who bought in the city. This includes me and my wife as well as two of her siblings. We have a handful of friends who either bought or are trying to buy. We and everyone I know doing this identify as “city people” who just don’t want to leave and are using this as an opportunity to upgrade space and take advantage of the benefits of home ownership. Many of our friends who rent took the opportunity to find a bigger place at a better rate or strong armed their landlords to get better deals. So the tldr here: in our group of friends, the people who left were those who wanted to leave anyway and didn’t have the opportunity until now. The people who stayed are those who grew up here and/or just want to stay in the city long term.

throwawaysea 5y ago
Do you feel the ones who moved out are doing so permanently? From coworkers I know who did this, it seems they are all “city people” but are finding that they really like single family zoned neighborhoods, more space, and a slower paced environment. It seems to me like what began as an experiment is likely to be a permanent change for them. Anecdotally, my sense is that these are people that never gave living outside the city a chance, or had preconceptions about it, but with this pandemic driven experience they are figuring out their actual tastes or priorities.
- sickcodebruh 5y ago
  I’m really not sure but I think it kind of depends on the people. All our friends who bought outside the city grew up elsewhere so they seemed to be really comfortable (and in many cases excited) about it. It was as if they had a multi-year plan that would culminate in this move and the pandemic just accelerated it. That said, a handful of them have mentioned renting apartments in the city and already come down pretty frequently. I wouldn’t be surprised if their FOMO became overwhelming once things are fully reopened and wound up coming back permanently.

throwawaysea 5y ago

Do you feel the ones who moved out are doing so permanently? From coworkers I know who did this, it seems they are all “city people” but are finding that they really like single family zoned neighborhoods, more space, and a slower paced environment. It seems to me like what began as an experiment is likely to be a permanent change for them. Anecdotally, my sense is that these are people that never gave living outside the city a chance, or had preconceptions about it, but with this pandemic driven experience they are figuring out their actual tastes or priorities.

sickcodebruh 5y ago
I’m really not sure but I think it kind of depends on the people. All our friends who bought outside the city grew up elsewhere so they seemed to be really comfortable (and in many cases excited) about it. It was as if they had a multi-year plan that would culminate in this move and the pandemic just accelerated it. That said, a handful of them have mentioned renting apartments in the city and already come down pretty frequently. I wouldn’t be surprised if their FOMO became overwhelming once things are fully reopened and wound up coming back permanently.